All I Wanna Do
by LovelyinLavender
Summary: Bella isn't exactly thrilled about going on the annual Swan family vacation.  But after meeting the infuriating yet intriguing Edward Cullen, she realizes that maybe vacations aren't such a bad thing.  Rated M for lemons and language.  Usual pairings.
1. Big Bad World

**All I Wanna Do**

**A/N: Is have some fun! LOL Look who's back! Took me long enough; this story has been rattling around in my brain for over a year. Almost gave up on it, but I simply couldn't bear to scrap it. The story was simply too important to me…so here it is! **

**I will say this right up front: I can't make any promises that I will update on a regular schedule—I'm heading into my last year of school, and it's crazy as hell. Regardless, if you like the story so far, please feel free to add it to your alerts. Also, this story will be making reference to lots of different cities and places. I will do my best to explain them in my author's notes, but if you want to ask me about something, feel free!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters, or the cities/places mentioned in this story.**

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_**Chapter 1: Big Bad World**_

It's got to be about 95 degrees out—unusually hot for July in Michigan. Most of the time, we only get up to about 80-85 degrees tops. Then again, it's Michigan. Unpredictable weather is very predictable here.

You know what else is predictable? The fact that every damn year, my dad Charlie insists that we all spend a few weeks up north in Harbor Springs. We've been staying at the same resort for as long as I can remember. Don't get me wrong, the place is beautiful, and so is Harbor Springs. But I don't consider visiting a small, quiet town to be much of a vacation…because I live in one anyway. I live in Elm Grove, a place where everybody knows everybody and if you practiced hard enough, you could probably make it to the other side of town in just one jump. It's just so incredibly boring.

This is one of the reasons why I'm looking forward to starting college in the fall. I'm going to the University of Michigan…the complete opposite of Elm Grove. There are so many activities to partake in, and the school actually has more than 1,200 people (approximate size of the EG) who attend. Hell, that last point alone would be enough to convince me to go there. So you can imagine how excited I was when I got my acceptance letter. Finally, I could start a new chapter in my life.

Finally, I was getting out.

There was no getting out of this trip, though. I just felt so trapped. I wanted to get out of Elm Grove, but I didn't really feel like going on one of these cheesy family vacations to a place not much bigger than my hometown. And I definitely didn't keep my feelings on the issue to myself. But of course, my dad had to totally guilt trip me into coming up north…

_*Flashback*_

"_C'mon, Bells. You used to love it up there."_

"_I still do, dad. It's just…"_

"_Just what? Think about it, Bells. This will be the last chance we'll have to spend time together before you go off to school. Don't forget that your brother will be coming, too. I mean, he's hardly ever visited since he moved."_

"_Gee, I wonder why. Stupid, podunk town," I muttered._

_My dad's eyes crumpled in pain. "Bella, don't say that. Please. When you leave, it's just going to be me in that house, all alone. I didn't think it was too much to ask to spend some time with my kids."_

_*End Flashback*_

Damn it.

I didn't want to hurt Charlie's feelings. He means a lot to me.

So that's how I ended up here, sitting in the backseat of my dad's car, wedged between my box of books and DVDs and my brother, Emmett. He's 21 and going into his senior year at U of M. He's majoring in sport management, which is no surprise because according to Charlie, the guy could throw a football before he could walk.

It's definitely going to be cool going to the same school as Emmett does, because even though he and I can bicker like there's no tomorrow, he's still my brother and I love him. And I admit, the house definitely hasn't felt the same since he got his own place in Ann Arbor a year ago. But despite the fact that I've missed him, I've got to say, Emmett is disgusting as hell. Seriously, he's like a little kid. He's always making crude jokes, burping, and shoveling junk food into his mouth…like right now.

"Hey dad," Emmett said, chip crumbs flying out of his mouth as he spoke, "How much longer until we get there?"

_Ugh, pig. Haven't you ever heard of NOT talking with your mouth full?_

Charlie rolled his eyes. "A couple more hours. We're around West Branch. We've been coming up for years, though, Em. I would have though you'd be an I-75 expert by now."

"Yeah, dumbass," I said with a snort. "Where the hell is your brain? Oh right, you don't have one! Maybe you should go see the wizard about that."

Emmett laughed loudly, spewing more chip crumbs throughout the car. "Girl, maybe YOU should go see the wizard. Get a heart…and maybe a man to finally pop that cherry of yours."

_Oh no he didn't!_

The fact that I'd never gotten that far with a guy—or even had a boyfriend for that matter—seemed to amuse Emmett. It wasn't my fault that there weren't a lot of guys to pick from in a town as small as mine. And if I was interested in a guy, he never seemed to like _me_ that way. Emmett didn't have to make fun of me about it, though.

I turned slowly to glare at him and growled when I saw the smirk on his face. "Don't even go there," I hissed through my gritted teeth.

"Aww, Bella, don't be like that," Emmett replied. "You're embarrassed. That's ok. By your age, most people have lost the big v-card. I know when I was 18…"

"Emmett," I began, "When _you_ were 18…"

"Hold that thought," he interrupted, a horrified expression flitting across his face. "I have a gut feeling that something bad is gonna happen."

Charlie glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his confused expression matching mine. At that same moment, however, a stench that was a cross between rotten eggs, chili, and cabbage permeated the interior of the car.

The silence was deafening as we all took in the nauseating scent. But a few seconds later, Emmett's voice broke us out of our haze.

"And for your smelling pleasure today, folks," he said, grinning wickedly, "Is a lovely fragrance I like to call 'Essence of Emmett'. Stick it in a bottle, market it, and ship it all over the world 'cause that shit is gold, baby!"

"You fucktard! Oh my God," I yelled, covering my nose with my hand.

"Bella, language," Charlie said sternly. But I could tell he was just as disgusted as I was. He, too, was covering his nose and had thankfully opened a window to let in some fresh air.

My mouth fell open in disbelief. "Seriously, dad? 'Language'? Your son is farting in the backseat and you're reprimanding me about language? I'm a big girl. I think I'm entitled to say whatever the hell I want."

Emmett began to chuckle. "Not everything, chica…not everything." Suddenly, he leaned in so he could whisper in my ear. "I had to stop you once. Don't make me do it again."

_Holy shit! It all made sense now._

Before Emmett had gassed us out, I was planning on sharing something very important with Charlie. Let's just say that Emmett shouldn't have been giving lectures on one's first time having sex. His first time was nothing to be proud of.

Charlie was under the impression that Emmett had lost his virginity to his girlfriend early in his senior year of high school. But that was far from the truth. He actually never had sex with his girlfriend…or should I say his _former _girlfriend. After she found out that he got totally wasted at a friend's party and screwed some random skank while there, she rightfully dumped him. Needless to say, Emmett felt absolutely horrible for what he did, and made a promise to never do something that stupid again.

Anyway, despite the fact that news travels fast in our small town, this particular bit of news somehow never reached Charlie (my bet is on Emmett paying off a shitload of people to keep quiet). Emmett understandably wanted to keep it that way and swore me to secrecy, seeing as how Charlie would probably kill him if he found out. So earlier when Emmett was saying all that crap to me, there was nothing I wanted more than to reveal his dirty little secret and watch Charlie give him hell for it. But Emmett was smarter than I gave him credit for.

He totally farted on purpose to distract me!

I could feel the anger rising inside me and before I even thought about what I was doing, I snatched Emmett's can of Coke out of his hand and poured the pop all over his head.

_Damn that felt good!_

"What the fuck," he seethed. But just as quickly, he grabbed a handful of chips, crumbled them up and threw them at me. "Ha! How do you like that, ice princess?"

I took out the small mirror that I kept in my purse and gasped at what I saw. A coating of chip crumbs now blanketed my hair. "Shit, Emmett! How am I supposed to get all this out?"

"Hey, you're the one who poured pop on my head. You started it!"

"No, _you_ started it! I would have had no reason to do that if you hadn't been a disgusting pig and farted with the windows rolled up."

"Well, you do what you gotta do."

"Ugh, you…"

"ENOUGH!"

Emmett and I quickly quieted down and looked up to see Charlie glaring at us in the rearview mirror. Then without warning, he swerved off onto the shoulder of the road and came to a stop.

I frowned. "Um, dad, what are you…"

"No, it's my turn to talk here." Charlie turned around in his seat and faced me. "Now you listen to me, Bella. I am sick and tired of the doom and gloom act you seem to have become so fond of. You've got to snap out of it. I mean, we're going on vacation. This is a time to be happy, so just let go and enjoy yourself. Got it?"

"Yes," I complied, sighing.

"Good. And by the way, as soon as we get to Harbor Springs, guess who gets to clean the pop off the seats?"

_Great. Just great._

"Oh dang," Emmett exclaimed, doubling over with laughter. "Girl, I only have one thing to say about that: karma."

Charlie snickered. "Emmett, let me remind you that you're not off the hook, either. The backseat needs some vacuuming after its chip crumb shower."

It was my turn to laugh this time, but Charlie wasn't done just yet. "Oh and by the way, Emmett, could you tone down the disgusting behavior…or at least try? I know this is you we're talking about, but please? Because you have to admit…" my dad paused, closing his eyes and shuddering, "What you did earlier was just fucking nasty."

This last statement made me laugh even harder, causing Emmett to scoff playfully. "Hey, don't knock 'Essence of Emmett!' I _still_ think that shit's gold…but alright, I'll try to take it down. I can't make any promises…but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Charlie said. "Now, do you think you guys can refrain from fighting the rest of the way up there?"

"Yes, dad," we said in unison, causing us to start laughing again.

Charlie shook his head, smiling, then started the car and eased his way back onto the road.

Well, this trip sure was off to an odd start. I guess my dad had a point, though. Vacations were supposed to be fun. But the whole family thing was just starting to get old. What I needed was something to liven things up a bit.

I glanced at a sign on the freeway and noticed we still had a ways to go. Since Emmett had already fallen asleep, I decided to just listen to my iPod.

I set it to shuffle and to my delight, one of my favorite songs was the first to play: 'Big Bad World' by the Plain White T's.

_It's a big bad world. We're doing what we can._

_Sometimes we fall on our face before we even learn to stand._

_But we get back up, shake off all the dust and take it step by step._

_I can fill the whole floor to the ceiling with all the dead wrong choices I've made._

_Even though we try to learn from each other's mistakes…_

_We'll do it again._

_We'll do it again, my friends._

_We'll do it again and again 'till eventually we change the way it's always been._

Hmm…interesting. I admit to being stuck in a rut for a while. But maybe this song had a point.

Could _I _stop moping, have some fun on this trip and change the way it's always been?

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**Can she, folks? I think she can! After all, that's what the story title DOES make reference to. We shall see… **

**So did y'all catch that Kellan Lutz 'Stick It' reference? Whoever did gets homemade sugar cookies! Well…not really, but you'll have the satisfaction in knowing you got it right LOL **

**Alright, so for the record, I made up the name of the Swan's hometown. Quite simply, it sounded small town-y. If there is by chance a city in MI by that name, I apologize for assuming, but to my knowledge, there isn't an Elm Grove in MI. Harbor Springs is a city in the northern lower peninsula of MI on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. West Branch is central-ish Michigan, located off of one of the main freeways in the state, I-75. It's the premiere place for stopping for a rest during a road trip. University of Michigan (U of M) is very prestigious and located in Ann Arbor (where Emmett has moved to permanently). It is a rival school of Michigan State University, located in East Lansing.**

**Alrighty, I think that's it for this chapter. I'll update as soon as I can! Please review if you'd like :-) **


	2. Gives You Hell

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters, or the cities/places mentioned in this story.**

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**_**Chapter 2: Gives You Hell**_

Thankfully, I didn't have to endure being cooped up in the car for much longer because before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination. I sighed as we pulled into the main entrance, eying the all too familiar pine trees that surrounded the driveway.

_Here we go again._

Emmett, of course, could always be counted on to act childish. "C'mon, Bella," he shouted gleefully, grabbing my arm and practically pulling it out of its socket as my dad parked the car.

"Christ, Emmett," I cried as he yanked me out of the backseat. "If you feel that strongly about amputating my arm, you should probably have someone at the hospital do it."

"You mean I can't just do it myself," he joked.

"No, Emmett," Charlie broke in, laughing quietly. "How would the staff here explain a bloody arm lying on their property?"

Emmett laughed loudly along with my dad and high-fived him. Ugh. Men.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, this conversation has taken a very odd turn," I said, walking towards the rental office. "Why don't we go check in…before removing one of my legs becomes a topic of discussion, too."

The guys laughed again and followed me inside. But the two of them quieted down immediately at the sight of a large gift bag on the front desk.

_They never failed to forget, did they?_

After a decade of coming here, we had become good friends of the staff. And a few years ago, they began a tradition of giving us a little something whenever we vacationed here.

No one was at the front desk at the moment, so Emmett took it upon himself to grab the bag and skip (yes, skip) over to the sitting area to open it.

"Alright," he shouted happily, pulling out several Hershey bars. Immediately, he tore open the wrapper on one of them and began to eat it.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle alerted us to the fact that we weren't alone anymore. We turned to see Donna, one of the staff members, leaning against the wall of the adjoining hallway watching us.

"I figured Emmett would have been the first to get to the candy," she said, walking towards us.

Regardless of the fact that these vacations were starting to get old, you couldn't help but like Donna. She was always positive and upbeat, and could never fail to make someone smile.

Emmett let out a whoop and ran over to give her a huge hug. "Donna! It's so great to see you."

"You too, Em," she replied. "And though I didn't think it was possible, it appears as though you've grown even more since last year."

"Well, I _have_ been working out," he said smugly. "Wanna check out the guns?"

Charlie snorted and rolled his eyes. "No she doesn't, Emmett. Now shut up!"

We all laughed, then Donna stepped forward to give my dad a hug. "Charlie, how've you been?"

"Can't complain," he responded nonchalantly. "I'm definitely good, and so is the town."

Donna smiled. "No weirdness, then?" Since my dad was the police chief of Elm Grove, there was always the possibility of weird shit going down.

"No, not really. Not unless you count a band of angry raccoons getting into someone's house as weirdness."

"I don't think that's weird at all," said Donna, chuckling. "Happens up here all the time."

_Of course it would, considering we're basically in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and let's not forget about the mammoth spiders, the huge mosquitoes, and…_

"Bella!" Donna's voice broke through my inner rant, and I turned my head just as she walked over to hug me. "Sweetheart, you look fantastic! And hey, congratulations on graduating. It's such a big accomplishment."

I smiled and nodded. "Oh, I know. It's so exciting!" _So exciting because I'm finally getting out of that town._

"And guess what, Donna," my dad said proudly, "Bella's following in Emmett's footsteps and heading to U of M in the fall."

"Good for you," Donna exclaimed, hugging me again. "That's wonderful! Then again, I'm not surprised. You always were a smart one."

I blushed, prompting everyone to chuckle. "Plus, she always was the one most likely to blush," Emmett added.

Seeing as how we were in the company of Donna, I tried to keep my snippiness to a minimum. "Yeah, well, _you_ were always the one most likely to be disgusting."

Everyone laughed again, then Charlie followed Donna to the front desk to check in, leaving Emmett and I to look through the gift bag.

It appeared as though we'd been spoiled yet again. In addition to the candy bars, we uncovered a new tackle box for Charlie, a subscription to _Sports Illustrated_ for Emmett, and a Petoskey stone necklace for myself.

As much as I wasn't one for gifts, I really did like my necklace. It was a simple silver chain complete with a small stone circular pendant. What I really appreciate about Petoskey stones is the fact that they have kind of a rugged beauty, a natural beauty. They really are gorgeous.

After Charlie finished checking in, we thanked Donna for the gifts then headed up to our condo. Our condo was pretty big, with a view of the front of the complex and even complete with a few balconies. Since we'd stayed in this condo plenty of times before, I knew that the bedroom connected to the second floor balcony would be mine. As silly as it sounds, I loved that balcony. It's a nice place to sit and watch the sun set over the mountains. And for the record, it's also a nice place to escape Emmett's obnoxious behavior.

We had some free time before dinner, so after I unpacked my things (and cleaned the pop off the seats of the car), I decided to take my copy of _Wuthering Heights_ and walk down to one of the small ponds on the property. The pond was dotted with some benches along the sides, perfect for relaxing.

"Dad, I'm heading out for a little bit," I called as I slid my sandals on and pushed the door open.

"Wait a second, Bells." Charlie stuck his head around the corner from the kitchen. "No moping, remember?"

I sighed loudly. "I'm not moping, dad. I'm just going to the pond to read for a little."

"Alright," he said, conceding. "But don't be long, ok?"

"Yeah, and don't let the door hit you on the way out, chica," Emmett shouted from the family room.

"Oh, fuck off," I snapped as I headed outside. I heard Emmett laugh loudly, then mutter something, although, I didn't hear what he said. Then again, I could care less about what Emmett had to say, seeing as how half of what he talked about made no sense at all.

As I got closer to the pond, I decided to start reading my book. I knew the roads on this property like the back of my hand, so reading and walking wasn't going to be a problem. And even though I'd read _Wuthering Heights _literally about 50 times, I couldn't wait to start again.

I had just begun getting into Chapter 2 when suddenly, I ran into something. The shock and force of the impact caused me to fall backwards onto the ground. It wasn't until I got my bearings and started to stand up that I realized that when I had fallen, I dropped my book…in the pond of all places.

"Damn it," I shouted, scrambling to the bank of the pond to try and retrieve it. Luckily, it wasn't far from shore, so I was easily able to snatch it out of the water. But the damage was already done. The book was almost completely unreadable, now that the words were smudged and the pages were soaked.

I surprised myself by beginning to cry. This had been my only copy of _Wuthering Heights_, and my favorite book above all others. However, the sound of quiet laughter cut through my sadness, and I looked up to see a guy with messy bronze hair sitting on the closest bench. His amused expression was a stark contrast to my gloomy one.

"What the fuck is so funny," I asked incredulously, standing back up.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Crying over a book? It just seems a tad melodramatic to me."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "For your information, it was my favorite book. Now it's ruined."

"Your favorite book?" He stood up and examined the soaked book, then began laughing again. "_Wuthering Heights _is your favorite book? You've got to be kidding me."

This guy was pissing me off more and more with each passing moment. "No, I'm not kidding," I hissed. "It's extremely well-written and one of the most romantic books I've ever read—not that you would know."

"Romantic," he spat, his emerald eyes boring fiercely into mine. "For your information, I _have _read _Wuthering Heights_, and it is NOT romantic. It's fucking depressing. That shit makes me want to slit my wrists."

"Well go ahead! No one's stopping you," I quipped.

He smirked. "Actually, I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm going to school to become a composer, and my professors would probably have a cow if I didn't show up one day."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh big fucking deal! There are plenty of other composers out there. It's not like the world needs another one."

"On the contrary, I'd like to think the world could always use great composers like me," he responded, almost angrily.

I snorted in disbelief at his statement. "You seriously think THAT highly of your composition skills?"

"Yes actually, I do."

"Fine! Well would you care to explain why, Mr. My Ego is Bigger than a Freight Train?"

His eyes narrowed and his gaze, if possible, became even more piercing than before. "No. I have some pieces I need to work on," he said, turning around to go in the other direction.

"Yeah, that's right. Walk away you emo bitch," I shouted at his retreating figure. "Why don't you go dye your hair black, buy some skinny jeans, and put on some guy-liner?"

He whirled around to face me again, his jaw clenched tightly. "Excuse me? I'm not a bitch. _You_ are a bitch—a bitch that needs to watch where she walks so she doesn't run into people and ruin her books."

"Run into people? What are you…" I trailed off, the pieces falling into place. "Wait a minute, it was _you_ that I ran into?"

"Yeah, who else would it be? Here I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden, some random girl comes walking down the path and runs right into me," he explained, looking as innocent as could be.

Something, however, did not make sense. "But you had to have seen me coming. You could have just moved out of the way."

"Oh I know," he said, smirking again. "But I just figured that you were going to be the one to move."

"But you…you…argh," I sputtered, frustrated. "How could you possibly think that? I was reading my book. I never would have seen you."

"Yes you would have, if you had bothered to look up," he countered.

"Why would I, though? _Wuthering Heights _is a great book. It…" But I stopped, seeing myself getting sucked into _Wuthering Heights_ trap again. "You know, just forget it. I'm done with this conversation, _and_ with you. Have a lovely vacation," I snapped, turning around and walking away from him.

"Thanks," he shouted. "And hey, make sure you take better care of your books from now on!"

I growled loudly, but just kept walking. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing his parting words bothered me.

By the time I reached my condo, I just wanted to scream. Though seeing as how Charlie and Emmett were inside, that probably wouldn't be wise. Instead, I stood on the porch and took a few deep breaths before going inside to start dinner. But unfortunately, that didn't seem to matter. I just couldn't get that conversation out of my head. I mean, the nerve of that guy! He was just plain rude, insulting, and infuriating.

He was also the hottest guy I had ever laid eyes on.

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**LOL Well, we all kind of figured that was coming! Hope you all liked this chapter. Yes, I know that Edward probably sounds like one crazy mofo…but all will be explained in time :-)**

**In regards to references you might be interested in, I think the only thing specifically mentioned was the Petoskey Stone. For those who don't know, Petoskey is located directly across Little Traverse Bay from Harbor Springs. However, the Petoskey **_**Stone**_ **is the Michigan state stone. Quite often, the stones are made into little trinkets or jewelry. Also, kind of an interesting fact: Harbor Springs and Petoskey are both located in Emmet (with one 't') County. Pretty ironic, wouldn't you say?**

**So I admit, I was a little disappointed at the number of reviews for the previous chapter…do I smell funny? Is there a giant blob of ketchup on the corner of my lip? LOL Seriously though, don't be shy! I'd love to hear your thoughts :-)**

**See you all in Chapter 3!**


	3. I Really Want You

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters, or the cities/places mentioned in this story.**

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_**Chapter 3: I Really Want You**_

I awoke the next morning feeling incredibly groggy and cranky. Needless to say that my altercation with Conceited Composer was weighing heavily on my mind…still. It was really pissing me off. I knew I shouldn't let it get to me. But the things he said were positively maddening. And the way his emerald gaze would fix on me and take hold, unrelenting in its intensity…the way his perfectly angled jaw would clench…the sound of his voice, like rich dark chocolate and smooth satin all rolled into one…and let's not forget about the hair…

"Fuck," I cried, throwing my pillow over my face to muffle the sound. I just didn't get it. The guy pissed me off royally and yet, I knew I had to see that fucking gorgeous face again before my vacation was over.

"Fuck? What exactly are you referring to?"

I took the pillow off of my face and found Emmett standing just inside the entrance to my room. Crap…I guess I was louder than I thought.

He snickered and walked closer to me. "So…care to explain."

I glared at him. "To you? Never."

"Aw, c'mon! You've got to give me something here." Emmett then proceeded to sit next to me on the bed. "'Fuck'…hmmm…" Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Oh my God. You finally got some, didn't you?"

"Emmett, no!" I got out of bed and stormed over to the door wall to go out onto my balcony. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to get the hint that I wanted to be by myself.

"Okay, so you didn't get lucky last night," he asked, following me outside.

"You mean in the 30 minutes of alone time I had before dinner? No, I didn't," I snapped.

He plopped down onto the chair next to me and slung his arm around my shoulder. "What happened, then, Bells? 'Cause you couldn't have been in that bitchy mood last night for nothing."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You noticed that?"

Emmett laughed. "Hun, I don't know who couldn't have noticed. Well, except for dad."

"Yeah, he does usually tend to be rather unobservant," I said, snickering.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Emmett spoke again. "Please, Bells," he asked quietly.

I sighed and fiddled with my fingers for a short time, then turned my chair to face him. "Alright, so there's this guy…"

"Ha! I knew it!" But after seeing the annoyed look on my face, he fell silent. "Sorry. Go on."

"Well, I talked to him by the pond yesterday. And the things he said…" I trailed off and shook my head angrily. "Emmett, he bumped into me and made me drop my copy of _Wuthering Heights_ in the water, made fun of the book, basically said he was the best fucking composer in the world, then proceeded to call me a bitch."

"But Bella, you are kind of a bitch," Emmett said with a smirk on his face.

"No one asked you, asshole," I shot back, making him laugh again. "Seriously though, to say that guy pissed me off would be an understatement."

Emmett stared at me, a knowing look on his face. "But…"

"But," I began with a sigh, "He bumps the sun out of first place for the hottest thing ever. I mean, his eyes are the greenest I've ever seen, and his hair…holy shit! It's like sex hair—all messy and what not. Plus, he's read _Wuthering Heights_! Granted, he made fun of it, but he's actually read it! How many guys do you know that have read it? It's just so impressive," I trailed off, realizing I'd been rambling like an idiot.

Emmett stared at me for a millisecond before laughing loudly. "Girl, you are SO into him," he choked out between laughs.

I smacked him upside the head, causing him to put like a little boy. "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

"Because it's not funny! Don't you see my predicament? I like him, but he's an ass."

"Well sure, aren't all guys at some level," Emmett replied, his voice suddenly quieter, more thoughtful. "I certainly was when I was your age."

_Whoa. Did not expect our conversation to go in that direction._

"See, Bella," he continued, "There are some shitheads that are pretty easy to root out…which of course, included myself. I cheated on my girlfriend, and not a day goes by that I don't regret doing something so stupid."

I couldn't help it. After seeing the pained look on Emmett's face, I took his hand. "I know, Em. And I'm sorry you're hurting."

Like the typical guy that he is, he sat up straighter and a tough expression took over the pained one. "Yeah well, it is what it is. I can't go back and change it. But Bella, the important thing to remember is that things aren't always what they seem. A guy might be a shithead on the outside, but real decent on the inside. Maybe this particular guy was just having a bad day, or maybe he was pulling the grade school thing and being an asshole to cover up the fact that he liked you."

"Ha," I scoffed. "He couldn't possibly like me. What is there to like?"

"Oh please. Enough with this low self esteem shit. I mean, have you looked at yourself lately? You've entered the big leagues now that Mother Nature has paid you a visit," Emmett explained, pointing openly at my breasts. "Get ready…"

_Okay, I realize that I was a late bloomer in every way possible, but Emmett didn't have to be so candid about it._

"Ugh, would you please refrain from talking about my breasts and move on to a different subject," I snapped. "This is so disturbing."

"No problem, chica," Emmett said eagerly. "So when I was out jogging earlier on the trail, I passed this smokin' hot blonde with these amazing ta-ta's, and..."

"Oh my God," I groaned, exasperated. "When I asked you to stop talking about my breasts, that didn't mean it was okay to talk about some other woman's."

"Well then you should have been more specific," he replied. "Really though, this was the best looking woman I've ever seen…and one hell of a firecracker, too."

"What are you talking about?"

Emmett sat up straighter in his chair, looking incredibly proud of himself. "Well, I decided to use some of that charm I'm so famous for."

Oh he was famous alright—famous for turning women off with his cheesy pickup lines.

"And what exactly did you say," I asked, almost afraid to find out.

"I took her hand, looked deep into her eyes and said, 'Baby, are you from Tennessee, 'cause you're the only ten I see.'"

Oh Jesus.

"Okay," I said, choking back a laugh. "How did she respond?"

"She glared at me and told me—with the hottest Southern accent ever—'No, I'm from Texas.' So then I…"

"You said something else to her?"

"Of course," Emmett said, frowning as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I said, 'Well then tell me baby, is everything really bigger in Texas, 'cause you've got one fuckawesome set of twins.'"

Just when I thought Emmett couldn't get any more idiotic, he proves me wrong.

"Oh God," I said in disgust. "Emmett, you never EVER are supposed to say that kind of shit to women."

"Tell me about it," he snorted. "After I said that, she kicked me in the balls and shouted 'Fuck off you sick perv.'"

I laughed. "Yeah I don't blame her. Poor thing."

"But damn, Bells," Emmett began dreamily, "That was the best 30 seconds of my life. Let me tell you, I ain't giving up on that goddess just yet…and neither should you."

"Why would I not give up on a girl you're interested in," I asked, confused.

"No, no. I don't mean my goddess," Emmett clarified. "I meant that guy we were talking about. I've never seen you go this nuts over a guy before. He's got to be worth something. So just give him a chance, okay? He might not be as bad as he comes off."

I smiled and got up to give Emmett a hug. "Thanks, big brother."

"No problem, baby sis," Emmett said, returning the smile. "You know I'm here for you, right? Any advice you might need, words of wisdom..."

"I know. Thank you."

We spent the next couple of minutes watching the sun continue to rise. But suddenly, I noticed someone stop on the road below my balcony to stretch and check their pulse. At the same time I saw the figure, Emmett did, too.

"My God," he whispered reverently, "It's her."

"Your goddess?"

"My goddess." Emmett leaned forward so his elbows were resting on the railing. He was watching her as intently as if his favorite TV show was on.

I could definitely see how Emmett would fall for her. She was very tall, very statuesque. Her long blonde hair was up in a ponytail, showing off her toned shoulders. And considering she was wearing a very low-cut tank top, it wasn't surprising that Emmett zeroed in on her breasts like a moth to a flame.

"BABY!"

The shout broke me out of my thoughts. I turned and almost jumped out of my skin at the sight of Emmett shimmying down the support beam of the balcony.

I leapt out of my chair and ran over to where he was descending. "What are you doing," I hissed.

"Going to get my goddess, what does it look like," Emmett whispered back.

"Well then, you'd better hurry up. Your goddess is escaping," I said, glancing at the figure on the road who was now running away as fast as she could.

"Damn it," Emmett muttered. "Baby, come back," he shouted as he hit the ground and began running after her. "I just want to talk to you!"

I collapsed in a fit of laughter at the sight of Emmett disappearing into the trees in pursuit of her. He certainly knew what he wanted, and wasn't going to give up hope of getting it.

Maybe I shouldn't lose hope either.

* * *

**Yes, I'm awful. It's been about a year since I last updated. I have no other excuse except that being in college can be crazy. It's great, but it leaves virtually no time for anything else. Good news is that I have Chapter 4 written and it will be coming soon. As for the other chapters, I'm going to try like hell to get them written and out in a timely manner. I mean it.**

**No real Northern Michigan references to explain in this chapter. But thanks to the Plain White T's and their inspiration for the chapter title again. Also, never fear. Edward will return in full force in Chapter 4. **

**See you next time! Please review!**


	4. Naming the Gap

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters, or the cities/places mentioned in this story.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Naming the Gap**_

Emmett arrived back at the condo about ten minutes later. I was sitting at the kitchen table eating a Pop Tart when he stumbled through the door, huffing and puffing.

"So did you catch her," I asked.

He collapsed into the chair opposite me and took a Pop Tart from the box on the table. "Ugh, no. I don't get it, Bells. I thought I was in good shape until I saw her. Damn, that girl can run."

I laughed. "Well, when a girl's got a strange, horny guy trailing her, she can probably outrun just about anyone."

"Hey, I'm not strange! Horny, yes, but not strange," Emmett argued, grabbing my Pop Tart from my hand and waving it high above his head.

"Give that back," I cried, jumping out of my chair to try and grab my breakfast.

"Not until you take back what you said," he responded, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. What is this, third grade?"

"Might as well be."

Emmett and I turned at the sudden interjection to see Charlie standing in the doorway. "So kids, you want to tell me what's going on?"

"There's nothing going on," Emmett insisted. "We're just…"

"Enjoying our breakfast," I finished, managing to snatch my Pop Tart from Emmett's hand. "And enjoying our time together, 'cause I just love my brother." To make the story more convincing, I wrapped my arms around Emmett's waist and gave him a big hug.

"And I just love my sister," Emmett said, taking the hint and hugging me back.

Charlie didn't look fooled. "Uh huh. Well, I didn't mean to interrupt this tender brotherly and sisterly moment, but I was just wondering what you two might be interested in doing today."

After a few minutes of heated debate with Emmett, we decided on just having a day in—partaking in activities that were on the resort property. Considering we were going to be up here for a few weeks, we had plenty of time for other things.

Charlie nodded his assent. "That sounds fine to me. What's first on the agenda?"

Emmett and I looked at each other and smiled, knowing full well where we wanted to go. "Pool," we said in unison.

The outdoor pool was beautiful, smack in the middle of the woods and surrounded by pine trees. It was a great place to spend an afternoon, be it swimming (Emmett) or reading in one of the lounge chairs (me).

"Yeah, I kind of figured," Charlie admitted with a grin. "That's why I thought today might be a good day for me to check out the Outfitter downtown, see if they got anything new in."

I sighed in relief. It was about time Charlie finally realized that Emmett and I didn't want to go looking for fishing gear with him anymore.

"You do that, dad," I said, nodding vigorously. "Maybe you'll find one of those cute little fishing hats to go with that new tackle box you got! Oh, maybe even one of those shirts that say 'Gone Fishin'!"

"Isabella Marie," my dad interrupted sternly while Emmett and I laughed hysterically. "Though now that you mention it, I do need some bait for the fish hooks…"

This made Emmett and I laugh even harder. And as we finished our Pop Tarts, I realized that I was actually starting to have fun, and I was cool with that.

* * *

After Emmett and I spent the morning and lunchtime lazing about, we packed up our things and headed to the pool.

As I was laying out my towel, I noticed Emmett standing next to the pool, practically vibrating with excitement. "CANNONBALL," he yelled, before jumping in. Of course, since he's built like a grizzly bear, much of the water splashed out of the pool and onto me.

"Emmett," I shouted, whipping off my purple Ray Bans and drying them. "These sunglasses are new!"

Emmett wiped the water from his eyes and laughed. "Hey it ain't my problem! You know me by now, chica. You should have just left your precious sunglasses-s-s-s," he said, drawing out the word dramatically, "Back at the condo."

He ducked underwater before I could come up with a decent comeback, and I sighed and cracked open my latest book, _Pride and Prejudice_, which wasn't exactly new considering I've read it almost as many times as _Wuthering Heights_.

"Hi," a perky voice said to my right. I looked up to see an extremely petite girl standing next to my towel. "Are you using this chair," she asked, pointing to the empty seat next to me.

"No, go ahead." I gestured casually to the empty chair, taking note of the girl's appearance as I did so. She had dark brown, almost black hair, cut very short and almost spiky in some places. Her swimsuit was a white backless one piece, save for one small white strap going across the middle of her back. The front of her swimsuit had a vertical cut out going from between her breasts to her bellybutton. Another small white strap that ran underneath her breasts was the only thing preventing a wardrobe malfunction. This did not look like the type of swimsuit you go swimming in, rather something you'd lay out in. A white wide-brimmed hat completed the ensemble.

She squealed and clapped her hands, and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Thank you so much! I'm Alice, by the way. Alice Cullen."

"Bella Swan. Nice to meet you."

"Wait a second…Bella Swan, as in Isabella Swan from Elm Grove," she asked, pulling off her sunglasses and scrutinizing me intently.

I raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "Uh, yeah…why? And hey, how did you know where I'm from?"

"Oh. My. GOD!" Alice abandoned her towel and bag on the chair and wrapped me in a crushing hug. "You're going to be my roommate at U of M in the fall! Don't you remember that letter they sent earlier in the summer explaining who our roommate would be?"

Now that she mentioned it, her name did sound kind of familiar. "Oh yeah, I do sort of remember. You're from…Oxford?"

"Pretty close," she replied, unpacking her bag. "My family's from Rochester."

Ah, so that explained the fancy swimsuit. Almost anyone I knew that lived in Rochester was pretty well-off.

"That's cool. You live there your whole life?"

"Yeah, mostly because of my dad. He's a doctor. He worked at Crittenton Hospital for a while then opened his own practice nearby when I was 7 or 8."

I nodded appreciatively. "Nice. You know, it might come in handy having a doctor around considering my klutzy ways." I clapped my hand over my mouth, surprised by my boldness. I'd known Alice for all of five minutes and here I was insinuating we'd be hanging out for the rest of the trip. Then again, Alice was a very likeable person. And of course, there was the roommate thing, which I still couldn't believe.

Alice laughed loudly and grasped my hand. "Well Bella, no worries. If by chance you do fall down or twist an ankle or something, you'll be in good hands."

We sat in silence for a bit before Alice spoke again. "So Bella, who are you up here with?"

"My dad and my older brother, Emmett…who has apparently decided to engage in a game of Marco Polo with that group of kids over there," I said, pointing to where they were at the opposite end of the pool. "Yeah, he's kind of a big kid."

"I see," Alice said, nodding in amusement. "I wish my brother was like that. He's always so serious. I keep telling him he needs to lighten up, and he's all like, 'No, I need to work on my music. Compositions this, compositions that…'"

I froze, the blood draining from my face. This sounded a lot like something I'd heard before. But it couldn't be…

"Oh speak of the devil," Alice trailed off, looking over my shoulder. "Here comes the ray of sunshine now."

I turned around and my jaw dropped at the sight. It seemed like Conceited Composer was, indeed, Alice's brother (perhaps Conceited Composer _Cullen_ was more appropriate considering the circumstances). But that wasn't why my jaw dropped. He was wearing black board shorts which clung dangerously low on his hips. And he was shirtless, save for a towel slung over one shoulder. But regardless, I could see nearly all of his perfect chest and sculpted abs. Good lord…

"Well, well," a smooth voice said, breaking me out of my ogling, "If it isn't Bitchy Bookworm."

I snapped my eyes up furiously—though secretly impressed that he used alliteration to label me as well—and met his green eyes, smoldering with dark amusement. "Well, well. If it isn't Conceited Composer _Cullen_."

He furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly confused that I knew his last name. "Yeah, I know things," I retorted smugly.

"Wait, how do you two know each other," Alice asked, standing between us with her hands on her hips.

"Well Alice," C3 began, "We met down at the pond yesterday. She fell and dropped her book in the water and I rescued it for her." He turned to me, a smirk on his face. "Isn't that right?"

"WHAT!" My shout made everyone in the pool turn to me. "Don't you all have better things to do?" They promptly turned back to their activities. "Need I remind you that I dropped my book because YOU blocked my way and made me fall? And you most certainly didn't get my book out of the water. I had to grab it!"

"Silly girl," he replied, stepping closer to me. "We went over this before. You simply need to watch where you walk. We wouldn't have had our little incident had you been more careful."

"You asshole! You are so twisted. And for the record, my name is Bella, so don't call me demeaning shit like 'silly girl'."

"Well, _Bella_, I'm Edward…and I'd appreciate if you'd do the same because I'm certainly no asshole."

At this point, our heated exchange had brought us nearly nose to nose. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, taste his sweet breath on the tip of my tongue. My gaze moved involuntarily to his lips…

At once, he broke eye contact with me—his face a mixture of fear and anger—threw his towel onto a nearby chair, and dove into the pool, emerging seconds later into the freestyle stroke down the length of the pool.

Bewildered at the turn of events, I turned to see Alice staring at me with a similar expression on her face. "Alright, girly. Care to explain to me what that was?"

I sat down with her, took a deep breath and began, filling her in with every detail from my encounter with Edward yesterday. Alice shook her head in disbelief. "That is beyond crazy! For what it's worth, I'm sorry for Edward's behavior. But honestly, he's been in some kind of funk for the last couple of years or so, since…" She trailed off, a dark look crossing her face. She recovered, however, seconds later. "Well, it's not my story to tell. The point is that it's not just you he's directed his shit at, so please don't take it personally."

I nodded, looking out at Edward who was still swimming laps. I wasn't a strong swimmer, but from what I could tell, Edward's strokes were flawless. Involuntarily, I cocked my head and let out a quiet sigh.

"Ahem."

Not as quiet as I thought, apparently.

"Miss Bella, do you have a thing for my brother," Alice questioned.

I turned to her and took note of the smirk on her face. "What? God, no. He's an asshole." I grabbed my book and pretended to start reading, hoping she'd drop it.

Suddenly, I felt the book get taken out of my hands and then get placed back seconds later…right side up.

"Such an asshole that you were reading upside down?"

I sighed, causing Alice to start giggling. "Okay…maybe not such an asshole." Her giggles turned to full out belly laughs.

"Oh Bella, it's okay! It's more than okay actually." Her eyes gazed upwards in a dream-like state. "Considering I haven't seen him as passionate as when he was talking to you in years, I think you may be just the person to bring him back." She linked arms with me. "Plus, I can tell you two would look seriously cute together!"

It was my turn to laugh. "Hmph, we'll see then." Though I couldn't deny wanting to see what 'Edward and Bella' would be like.

"Well, we're up here a month, so yes, we definitely will see," Alice replied.

"A month, wow. Yeah, we're up here for a few weeks," I said. "Where are you staying?"

"In one of the condos facing the pond." The pond. Of course. "This is actually our first time staying here."

"Well this certainly isn't our first time staying here," I said with a snort. "So if you need any suggestions on what to do…"

"Then we'll let you know," Alice finished, causing us to laugh. "Well, even though it's our first time staying here, we're not new to the area. Up until this year, we've usually stayed in Bay Harbor. But one of my dad's friends offered us a chance to stay in his condo for free."

"Well you certainly can't pass up free."

"Exactly!"

We sat for a few minutes before I excused myself to use the bathroom. Unfortunately as I was walking, I didn't notice the beach ball careening towards me.

"Heads up," someone shouted, but it was too late. The beach ball smacked me in the face, throwing me off balance and sending me backwards into the pool. I barely registered the thud of my head hitting the railing before everything went black.

* * *

"_Bella! Wake up!_"

"_Somebody do something!_"

"_She might have swallowed some water_."

"_I'm on it!_"

I wanted to talk back to whoever was talking to/about me, but I couldn't move…not yet. Things hadn't synced up between my mind and body apparently.

Then, I felt pressure on my chest and suddenly, the dam burst forth. I coughed up a wave of water, gasping for air as my lungs cleared.

I heard a brief smattering of applause before I heard Edward—_Edward?—_say, "Hey, help me roll her onto her side. Careful with her head."

I slowly opened my eyes as they rolled me over, noting that Emmett was the one helping Edward. I tried to reach out to him. "Em," I croaked, "Thank you."

Emmett gave me a gentle hug. "Oh don't thank me, baby girl. It was all…" he trailed off. "Sorry dude, what's your name?"

"Edward Cullen." I heard them shake hands as they introduced themselves.

"Anyway, it was all Edward. He saw you fall in and seriously bulldozed people out of the way to get to you. After he got you out, he did chest compressions and the, well, here we are," Emmett explained.

I stared at Edward, still trying to catch my breath. His expression was guarded as he stared right back. I couldn't believe it. This was huge. He fucking saved my life. That had to mean something.

Before I could lose my nerve, I scooted carefully forward and pulled him to me, giving him as big a hug as I could muster. A few seconds later, I felt him reciprocate, wrapping one arm around my lower back and cradling the back of my neck with the other.

We didn't speak as we clung to each other. Then again, I don't think we saw the need. This incident had changed things between the two of us. But we had plenty of time to talk about it. We had at least three weeks together.

The thought made me smile.

* * *

**Lots of changes, yes? We meet Alice, Edward saves Bella…and what happened to Edward that Alice couldn't share? Much will be explained in the next chapter. **

**So…references to explain. Hope no one was offended by my description of Rochester. I do love it there. It's a city in Oakland County in Southeast Michigan, and it does happen to be a very nice city. Lots of high-end stores and cool places to shop. Keep in mind that Bella comes from a much more modest town and might be slightly cynical about places with more money. Crittenton Hospital is also a real hospital in Rochester. Oxford is a fairly short distance from Rochester…maybe 15 minutes. Bay Harbor is a resort village just five minutes from Petoskey. Long story short, you pretty much have to have money to stay there. The only thing I can afford is breakfast at the Pancake House whenever I visit! LOL But again, no offense. It is gorgeous there.**

**Drew and the Medicinal Pen inspired my chapter title. The song is about realizing that you found someone that completes you, makes everything better, fills a 'gap' you might be feeling. At least, that's how I perceive it. The band is notorious for making something sound happy and sweet, but if you listen to the lyrics, they can be dark (so, so cool!). I don't think this is one of those instances, though I'll try to update ASAP. Please review! **


	5. Kiss Me Slowly

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters, or the cities/places mentioned in this story. I do, however, own a delicious cherry pie, which is sitting in my fridge.**

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Kiss Me Slowly**_

After my near miss at the pool, Edward carefully carried me back to his condo, with Alice and Emmett close behind. All the while, I had my head buried in the crook of this neck, inhaling his delicious scent. I rejoiced internally at the fact that Edward was resting his cheek on top of my head the whole time.

His father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen checked me out and save for a nasty bump on the side of my head, I appeared to be just fine. His mom, Esme, was a sweetheart, sending me out the door with a bag of freshly baked cookies after my "checkup"…and an invitation. The Cullens were headed down to Traverse City for the cherry festival the next day. Charlie, Emmett, and myself were more than welcome to come along. Emmett and I readily accepted on behalf of Charlie. It sounded fun!

So here we were, all piled in the Cullen's Escalade for 1 ½ hours down to Traverse City. I ended up stealing glances at Edward practically the whole time. Whenever he would catch my eye, I'd blush furiously and look down, only to look up again and notice him smiling shyly at me. And then I'd catch Alice's knowing smirk…and the moment would be killed. By the time we reached our destination, I was practically vibrating with tension and I eagerly hopped out of the car.

"Wait up, bells," Charlie called, "How do you want to work this?"

"Well, Charlie," said Esme, "Carlisle and I were going to grab some lunch. You're more than welcome to join us. Alice and Edward usually like to explore some of the rides and games."

Alice began her usual jumping up and down excitedly. "Yes! And we'd love to have Emmett and Bella join us. We could talk U of M and get elephant ears, too."

"Elephant ears? Oh I'm totally in," shouted Emmett.

"Yup, any mention of food and Emmett will be there," said Charlie.

We all laughed, then agreed to split up before meeting up by the ferris wheel in a couple of hours.

After the parents walked away, we all grouped off to the side, looking around at the many options. "Well," Alice began, "We could always do some skee ball and I could school your asses!"

"Hell no, pixie," replied Emmett. "Your ass is going down…but I want my elephant ear first!"

"No way you big lug," she fired back. "Food can wait!"

Edward and I glanced at each other, smiling awkwardly as Alice and Emmett began to argue for their respective choices. "She's always like that," Edward explained quietly in his beautifully smooth voice. "Though I'm not even sure why Emmett's bothering standing his ground. Alice is pretty pushy."

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that," I agreed, laughing.

Edward joined in with me, and I looked up at the sound of his beautiful laughter. As our eyes connected, we quieted, and Edward began gnawing on his bottom lip nervously. "Bella," he began after a moment, "Do you…"

"Holy shit on toast," Alice exclaimed loudly, interrupting Edward, and I rolled my eyes. Why'd she have to pick now to interrupt? Impeccable timing, that one. "Check out that tall drink of water."

I followed her gaze to a tall, slim guy with wavy blond hair. He was laughing at something his equally blonde companion was talking about, drawing my attention to his nice smile. Yes, he was cute, but he was certainly no Edward. But just then, his companion turned and I could see her face more clearly. It kind of looked like…no way…

"Oh my God!"

Yep, exactly who I thought it was.

Emmett turned to me, a questioning look on his face. I laughed. "Em, when have you ever been one to over think things? And besides," I lowered my voice, "You told me to not give up. And I thought you weren't going to, either. Don't go all soft on me now."

He turned to Alice, a determined glint in his eyes. "Pixie, I think we finally agree on something to do. What do you say you get your guy and I get my goddess," he asked, holding out his fist for her to bump.

"Oh hell yeah," she agreed, returning the fist bump. With that, off they went.

I laughed and turned to Edward, who at the moment resembled a fish, as his mouth was alternating between open and closed. "What was that," he sputtered.

"That would be your sister trying to get her man. Wake up and smell the coffee, sunshine." I surprised myself by reaching over and patting Edward's shoulder, and I blushed when he locked eyes with me intensely. "Don't you want her to be happy," I asked a few seconds later.

He must have realized he was still staring at me, because he averted his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course, but she's my baby sister."

"She's not that much of a baby," I replied. "She told me you're only a year older than her." _And me, _I added internally.

Edward cracked a small smile. "True. I'm just protective of her, that's all. She's one of the most important people in my life."

I smiled at his earnest tone. "I don't doubt that. If you're as fierce about protecting her as you are about your music, you're a force to be reckoned with."

He let out something akin to both a groan and a laugh. "Yeah, about that, Bella. I…would you…ugh." He wrung his hands, looking suddenly nervous as hell. "Look, I owe you an explanation. Do you want to go somewhere more private?"

I gulped, suddenly nervous, too. "Yeah, sure."

He shakily took my hand and we walked towards the waterfront. I was anxious to hear what he hand to say. But that anxiousness was offset by one thing. He was holding my hand. _We_ were holding hands. I wanted to squeal with giddiness. But that would have to wait, of course.

We stopped in front of a bench facing the bay and sat down. Edward was silent for a few beats before beginning.

"Bella, I want to start by apologizing. I realize that day when I bumped into you…"

"Oh you bumped into me," I snarked, bad memories of that day flooding suddenly back. "I thought in your opinion, I needed to watch where I walked."

"Yeah, about that," he began, fidgeting again, "I sort of…um…bumped into you…on purpose."

"What," I hissed, falling silent for a few seconds, processing this. "That doesn't make any sense, Edward."

"Yes, I know, but that wasn't because I disliked you. Not at all," he said, sighing. "Bella, I was sitting on that bench, and the first thing I noticed about you—aside from your rather impressive ability to read and walk at the same time—was that you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen."

I snorted at that. "Oh yeah? Why'd you bump into me, then?"

"Because I wanted to get your attention. I realize I acted in a completely juvenile way to do that. And for that, I'm so, so sorry. But I was also frustrated. I knew I had to have you and yet," he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, "I'm so fucked up."

I raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"

He let out a long breath. "Bella, there's a reason I'm obsessed with school and my compositions. I threw myself into that voluntarily." He looked up at me remorsefully. "I certainly didn't used to be as dedicated to school as I am now. Dedicated to other things? Yes."

My stomach clenched in anxiety. "What other things?"

Upon seeing Edward bury his head in his hands, I scooted over and rubbed his back gently. His muscles, rigid with tension, began to relax. "Edward, it's okay."

After a little bit, he sat up slowly and reclaimed my hand in his. "Promise you won't be mad?"

"Yes, I promise."

"I had quite a reputation in high school among the opposite sex," he explained cautiously. "I was that cliché guy who wouldn't hold onto the same girl for more than a week—the fuck and run kind of guy. Honestly, if it had breasts, I fucked it."

I winced. Admittedly, I could not imagine this quiet, studious guy would be someone like that. But I had to remember, this was all in the past. "So then what happened," I asked.

He snorted. "I got my balls handed to me on a platter. Towards the end of senior year, I was seeing this girl, Tanya," he said, her name coming out as almost a low growl. "I'm not going to lie. We had a very healthy sexual relationship. But one day, she did something a little different. She…" he trailed off. "Bella, are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Yes, Edward," I said encouragingly. "Please."

"Okay, well one day, Tanya took me to the school's performing arts center and we went backstage. She said she had this fantasy of fucking in a public place. Once we got back there, she," his voice cracked, "She started undressing me. And then she, um, used some scarves to tie me to this prop table…said she wanted to be in control," he explained, starting to look a little green. Admittedly, I wasn't feeling too hot myself about whatever was coming. "It was pitch black back there, so I couldn't see anything after she tied me up…that is, until the stage curtain opened."

I gasped loudly, certainly not expecting that. He nodded slowly and continued. "Yeah, she had heard about me through one of her friends that I, well…and she decided to exact a little revenge on me on behalf of all the girls I screwed without a care in the world. They were all there—all the girls—in front of the stage. They threw shit at me, literally. I couldn't really move around to investigate, but I smelled shit."

I was fuming. Part of me realized that he probably got what was coming to him at the time, but no one deserves to go through all that. "Did they get in trouble?"

"Oh yes. They all got a week's detention and had to clean up all the shit off the stage. I couldn't get the smell off me for a week, my own personal detention," he said, wrinkling his nose.

I couldn't help it. I scooted into his lap and wrapped him in a tight hug, which he reciprocated just as strongly. After a minute or so, I pulled back and took his face in my hands, running my thumbs under his downcast eyes. "Edward, I'm so unbelievably sorry."

"Thanks. Yeah, it sucked. I was more embarrassed than I've ever been in my life," he said candidly. "I became a social pariah. But honestly, it was a blessing, too. It was an awful wake up call, but it was a wake up call. It made me realize what an asshole I was, and I took a step back and re-evaluated. I threw myself into school and ended up graduating decently. And…I want you to know," he paused, gently stroking my cheek, "I haven't been with anyone since high school."

My eyes popped a little. "So you weren't kidding about taking a step back."

He chuckled. "No I wasn't. And while I've had a lot of time to think about the man I want to be—and should be—it didn't prepare me for you. You came along and just shattered the walls I built. At first, that made me angry. But oh, Bella," he said tenderly, "When I thought I might have lost you that day at the pool…"

"And thank you for that. A hundred thousand thank you's," I replied earnestly.

Edward smiled at that, his beautifully crooked smile. "Bella, losing you would have hurt me more than anything. You couldn't leave me, not before we at least gave this, us," he gestured between the two of us, "A shot. I want to do this right, show you that I'm different…if you let me."

Good lord. He'd given me so much to think about. But despite his past, I knew he was different. And like him, I wanted to give us a shot.

There was no time like the present.

Before I lost my nerve, I threaded my fingers through that wonderfully crazy hair of his and pulled him to me, my lips meeting his. Edward was frozen for a moment, but after a few seconds, I felt his lips turn up into a smile. Then he kissed me back, and I wanted to scream with joy. However, my lips were a bit preoccupied at the moment.

As our mouths gently caressed one another's, I felt his tongue press against my bottom lip. I moaned softly in response and tried to pull him even closer, making him smile again. Very carefully, I met his tongue with my own and this time, it was him that let out the moan.

Our kisses weren't rushed or frantic. This was just a boy and a girl, taking their time, letting each other explore—showing each other that yes, I like you and yes, I want to get to know you better.

Eventually, we broke apart, though I wasn't really sure when. I tucked my head under Edward's chin and he kissed the top of my head, letting out a content sounding sigh. "My Bella, there are no words except for this: you've made me so, so happy," he said, pulling back to caress my cheek.

My huge grin got even bigger. "Back at you. And might I say," I began shyly, "You are one fantastic kisser."

He chuckled softly. "In my opinion, you're only as good as your partner, love."

I blushed. "Well when my partner is one of the most handsome, sweetest, most passionate guys I've met, of course it's easy to get into it."

"I could say the same about you, beautiful Bella," he said, tightening his hold on my waist.

My already red cheeks got even redder, and I ducked my head, laying it on his shoulder. We sat in silence for a minute or two before Edward spoke again. "So, now that you know all there is to know about me…"

"I don't know your middle name or your birthday," I interrupted playfully.

"Anthony and June 20th," Edward replied, laughing. "Anyway, now that you know about me, are there any asshole exes I need to go beat down?"

I snorted. "If there were any exes to speak of."

He cocked his head to the side and looked at me disbelievingly. "You're joking, right?"

"Sadly, no. It's slim pickings in Elm Grove. I wasn't interested in any of the guys there. And before you, my only experience with kissing was in the second grade with the class booger eater," I explained, cringing.

Edward looked horrified. "The class booger eater? I sincerely hope it was _he_ that made the first move as opposed to you wanting to kiss him."

"Oh yes," I said. "Believe me, I'd never voluntarily kiss someone that disgusting."

"Well good." Edward suddenly looked contemplative. "So no boyfriend or kisses. Is it safe to assume you're…you know…"

"A virgin," I finished. "Yeah. Again, none of the guys at home interested me that way." I look him square in the eye, mustering up my courage. "But with you…you've made me feel this…hunger that I never thought possible—just in the short time we've know each other."

His eyes darkened considerably. "Oh Bella…" He leaned down and kissed me quickly but passionately, resting his forehead against mine afterwards. "I want you, too. My God, do I. But we'll go slowly, okay?"

"Deal," I agreed.

"Thank you. Because like I said, I want to do this right. You're different from the other girls—what I feel with you is ten times more than what I felt for all of them combined," he explained earnestly. "You're special to me."

"Oh shucks, Mr. Cullen," I replied somewhat bashfully, "I think you're kind of special, too. You know, not eating the paste special, but…"

He laughed. "I get it, Bella. And thank you."

We sat for another few minutes, staring at the water sparkling in the sun's light. "So, shall we go see if Emmett and Alice were successful in their conquests," I asked after a little while.

Edward groaned but stood up, pulling me with him. "I'm not sure I want to find out," he said as we began walking hand in hand.

Like a sitcom, at that moment, the crowds parted and my eyes registered the sight of Emmett pressing his goddess up against a nearby tree, kissing her senseless. She didn't appear to be objecting. A quick glance to the right showed Alice and her man in nearly the same position on a picnic table—the difference being she was straddling his lap.

"Well, it looks like we don't need to ask how things went," I said, pointing in Alice's direction.

Edward's gaze followed my finger. "Aw, hell," he said. "I don't care if she is 18, I do not need to see that! There are children here for God's sake."

I decided to play with him a little. "Well I think it's cute…and from the looks of things, so is he," I said, fanning myself. "Whew, that is one fine specimen."

He looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "I really hope you're fucking with me."

"Well not yet, but hopefully soon," I replied cheekily, raising my eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh you!" Edward grabbed me around the middle, tickling me, making me screech with laughter. This tickling, however, morphed into kissing not too long after, effectively silencing my laughs for several long and joyous minutes.

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**So…the Traverse City Cherry Festival…good times! It's always boiling hot when I've gone, but fun nonetheless. There was a Gilmore Girls reference in this chapter. Did anyone spot it? Kudos to one of my favorite bands, Parachute, for inspiring the chapter title.**

**Lots of progress in this chapter with everyone. We finally have some insight into what's been eating Edward. We'll hear more about what happened with Em/R and J/A in the next chapter and how Mr. Emmett was able to finally charm Ms. Rosalie! Please review! **


	6. Love Song Number One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters, or the cities/places mentioned in this story. **

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_**Chapter 6: Love Song #1**_

"…And THEN, I was all like, 'MSU sucks, honey. Michigan football has a much better record overall,'" said Emmett.

"But I very nicely told him…"

"Ha! More like bitched at me…"

"…That MSU has been schooling U of M for the last few years in a row," explained Rosalie. That was her name, as we found out. Her twin brother was Jasper, who was snuggled into Alice's side like a puzzle piece. Despite the fact that there was a nearly 12-inch height difference between the two of them, they fit perfectly together.

Both Rosalie and Jasper went to Michigan State University, and _both _happened to be senior theater majors (which allowed Emmett the opportunity to crack a pretty funny Sharpay and Ryan "High School Musical" joke), though Jasper was a double major in both theater and psychology. They were originally from Texas, which explained the "hottest southern accent ever" Emmett described to me earlier. Both were living with friends in East Lansing while they went to school.

"…And I don't know, I just felt something shift at that point," said Emmett, looking lovingly at Rosalie. "I just looked her…"

"…And I looked at him, and that was it," finished Rosalie. "It was like magic."

"So let me get this straight. You two were arguing about sports, and then just started making out or something," asked Jasper. "I didn't think sports were an aphrodisiac. I'll have to look into that."

Alice giggled. "Oh Jazzy, don't think about your psychology research now. We're on vacation!"

He smiled at her, nuzzled her neck, and said, "I wasn't talking about my psychology research."

Okay…ew.

In short, it seemed as though Edward and I had two very horny new couples on our hands. But for as strange as it was that they paired off so quickly, it also made perfect sense. When two people know that they're right for each other, the rest just falls into place. My reasoning was the beautiful man standing next to me, who had his head thrown back, laughing at the blatant displays of affection between Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice.

I smacked him playfully in the chest. "What? I think it's kind of cute."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I suppose, but damn if it isn't a little strange, too."

"Sure. But love is, as the Everly Brothers say, strange. You and I got off to a strange start."

"We did, indeed. But your feistiness is part of what drew me to you." As if to illustrate his point, Edward pulled me into his arms. "I'm curious. What drew you to me?"

I smirked at him. "Ha! Who's to say that I'm drawn to you?"

"I think you made it pretty clear just a little while ago," he said, smirking right back at me. Reaching up to smooth a few strands of hair away from my face, he leaned in and whispered, "You tasted so sweet, baby."

I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes, my façade quickly slipping. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Edward chuckled, the sound sending delicious shivers through my body. "Now why would you think that? If you react so strongly to me," he began, kissing the sensitive skin beneath my ear, "then I can't be held accountable for that."

At this point, I was a quivering mess. "You don't play fair, Edwar—oh…" I trailed off as he began to suck on that same sensitive spot beneath my ear.

He released my skin with a soft pop. "What was that?"

"You…oh fuck it," I relented, grabbing his hair and pulling his mouth to meet mine. Edward wasted no time in plunging his tongue into my mouth, alternating between deep strokes and shallow ones, nipping my lower lip with his teeth and laving the bite marks with this tongue. My hands found purchase on his muscled back, my nails digging into the skin as he continued his assault on my mouth.

A loud burst of laughter cut through our haze and we broke apart, gazing sheepishly at our friends.

"Damn! I thought _we_ were bad, Rosie" said Emmett. "Good going, little sis!"

"Oh shut up," I snapped, making our friends laugh harder. I chanced a glance at Edward. There was no trace of cockiness left on his face, just a radiant smile as he threaded his fingers with mine. He was glowing, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh you guys," Alice gushed. "You're so cute!"

Suddenly, Emmett's cell phone chimed, alerting us to a text. He pulled out his phone and grimaced. "Shit! We were supposed to meet our parents back at the ferris wheel. That was my dad wondering where the hell we are."

I gasped. "Yikes, let's go!"

The others took off sprinting, and I started to run too, but Edward held me back. He leaned down and gave me the sweetest of kisses—just a quick brush of his lips against mine, but it had just as great an effect on me. "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon," he said quietly.

I beamed up at him. "No, thank your. I mean, thank _you_. Shit…" I muttered, sending us both into a fit of laughter.

"Oh Bella. My beautiful, adorable Bella." Edward leaned in to kiss me again, and then abruptly pulled back. "Race you to the ferris wheel."

I gasped, thrown off-guard by his change in demeanor, but quickly recovered and started running after him. "Cheater," I shouted at his retreating figure. "You suck!"

"I didn't hear you complaining earlier," he retorted back.

I suppose he did have a point. Edward Cullen was impossible to resist.

* * *

When I got to the ferris wheel, Edward was already there…no surprise, considering he had gotten a head start. What did surprise me, however, was the fact that he and Charlie seemed to be having a very amiable discussion. Charlie was your typical overprotective father, and he and Edward appeared to be getting along great. I walked up right as they shook hands.

"Hey you two," I said as I approached them. "Shaking hands, that looks very official to me."

Charlie laughed. "I suppose in some ways it was. Edward and I were just…oh no," he trailed off, his face going white, "I think I left my wallet over by the hot dog stand. Bella, I'm sorry sweetie. I've got to walk over and look for it."

"No, no. I can go look for it, Chief Swan. Our friends and I have monopolized all of Bella's time this afternoon. You two just stay here," Edward offered.

"Thanks, Edward," said my dad. "That's real nice of you."

"Yes, it is," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. He was just the sweetest guy.

Edward smiled. "It's no problem, I'll be back in a bit." As he passed me, he reached over and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

Charlie waited for a few seconds after Edward was out of earshot, then let out a deep breath. "Whew. I didn't think the kid would actually take the bait." Then, reaching into his pocket, he took out his wallet.

My mouth dropped open. "The fuck?! What the hell did you do that for? You just sent him on a wild goose chase!"

"Isabella Marie, language! And don't worry. He'll be back as soon as he realizes it's not there. I had to buy us a little bit of time."

"For what, exactly?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about Edward," Charlie began.

"Oh yeah? What, are you going to tell me about how no one's good enough for your baby…how I shouldn't date Edward? Because I really like him, dad!"

He looked at me, a soft smile on his face. "While it _is _true that no man will ever be good enough for you—in my humble opinion—I was going to tell you that I actually think Edward's pretty decent. I mean not only did he save you at the pool, but he came up to me and asked my permission to ask you out on a real date."

Was this why he wanted to beat me back to the ferris wheel? Interesting… "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I respect a guy that does that. Plus, he comes from a good family…and the fact that he goes to U of M is a good thing, too. That kid picked the right school."

"Yes, God forbid the guy I'm interested in go to a rival school."

We laughed, then lapsed into comfortable silence. "Look, I just thought I'd let you know that I…approve," Charlie said. "Like I said, Edward seems like a real decent guy. If he behaves anything like he did at the pool, I know he'll take good care of you."

"Thanks, dad." I gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "You're awesome."

"I do my best," said my dad with a wink. "Just try to act surprised when he asks you out. I didn't want to spoil the surprise, but I thought you'd want to know."

"I appreciate you telling me, dad. And I appreciate you being nice to Edward. You're right. He _is _a decent guy."

My dad looked focused on something over my shoulder. "Speaking of which, here he comes. Remember, don't tell him that I talked to you."

"Will do."

Edward came and stood between my dad and I, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I'm sorry, sir," he said with a frown, "I couldn't find it."

"That's okay, Edward. I'm not that worried anymore. I'm sure it will turn up somewhere," Charlie replied, shooting a subtle wink at me. "So…should we head back? I'm assuming everyone else has made it to the car already."

"Sure, let's go," Edward said.

As we walked—Charlie slightly ahead of us—Edward wrapped an arm around my waist. I snuggled into his side and sighed happily. "That sure was nice of you to help my dad out."

"Of course," he replied, his voice light and airy. He paused for a beat. "He totally told you what I asked him, didn't he?"

I stopped in my tracks. "How did you know?!"

He laughed. "Come on, Bella. If a guy loses his wallet, he turns everything upside down to find it. Who calmly says 'I'm sure it will turn up somewhere,' and not know where it is?"

"Yeah, I thought the whole ploy was ridiculous, myself," I admitted.

Edward took the opportunity to turn and look right at me, his hands coming up to cup my cheeks. "I was serious, though, Bella. I want to do things right."

"I know you do."

"So will you…" he trailed off.

I smirked. "Will I, what?"

He rolled his eyes. "Isabella Swan. Will you please go on a date with me?"

"Wow, you even said 'please' and everything!"

"Bella…"

I decided to put him out of his misery. "Of course I'll go out with you, you silly man. There's no one else I'd rather go out with." Stretching up onto my tiptoes, I kissed him with everything I had. This of course prompted a few 'get a rooms' from random passerby. I said nothing back, as my lips were still occupied. I let my middle finger speak for itself.

After a bit, we pulled apart and began walking towards the car again. I was curious as to what Edward might have planned for our date, and asked him about it.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said coyly. "That, my dear, is going to be a surprise."

"You won't tell? Ugh. So mean."

"You won't be complaining once you see what we're doing." Edward winked at me playfully. "Don't you trust me?"

Of course I trusted him. I trusted him with my life—he'd already saved it once—and I couldn't wait to go on this date with him.

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**I'm back, hopefully for good! I had gotten several reviews from people asking when I was going to update. This really helped motivate me to get off my ass and get back to writing. I can't promise an update all the time, but you won't have to wait 2 years to get another chapter. Speaking of which, what did you guys think of this one? It's kind of a filler chapter, but we're getting to the good stuff now. By the way, the chapter title comes from another Drew and the Medicinal Pen song. Check it out! I'll update as soon as I can. Please leave a review. **


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